So much to say

I love Dave Matthews Band. Well, I used to love their stuff – I have no idea what the new stuff sounds like. *mental note to skim iTunes later* (I kind of lost touch with them after .. well, after.) But Under the Table & Dreaming, Crash, and Before These Crowded Streets are three really awesome albums. So what? I don’t know – it made sense a minute ago.

Oh yes.

My listening to DMB is a handy metaphor for my life right now. One minute, it’s all I listen to. It’s my go-to band. I sing it in the shower, in the car, while I’m cooking, working, whatever. Then, nothing. They are just one more album in my vast iTunes library. In fact, I almost forget about how wonderfully complex the music is – start forgetting those rhythms and lyrics that used to set my entire life to a really great soundtrack.

Like poor DMB, I’m in a moment of forgotten-ness. An afterthought. Not that it’s a bad thing, necessarily, but I suppose I haven’t all together outgrown pouting. And, I don’t feel like being all that grown-up right now. It’s exhausting.

See, I’m rambling again. Where was I?

It’s a vast playlist and I can’t be listened to all the time. Or something. Shoot, I’m not even listening to myself anymore.

 

Sidenote

It’s Saturday. I haven’t blogged in a while and, if I had more time (duh), you’d be able to see why.

We’ve finished up our first competitive cheer season, Doc is trying to beat CR7’s goal-scoring record this year in *cough* first kick rec soccer, and The Boy is trying to set a record for the number of times he can bang his face on the ground, into the lip of a table, or corner of a bookcase in a single month. Coach is finished with soccer season and has moved full-on into yearbook (which means he’s busy covering every sport, concert, play, and awards dinner at THS). Work is work for me. I love it. Busy, busy, busy. They keep giving me things to do so I’ll take that as a good sign.

I have been feeling the urge to reorganize, purge, and simplify our belongings (again). Realizing the reality is that we probably won’t try and move this year, all the STUFF in this house is making me crazy.

I want to redecorate the Boy’s room. It doesn’t really say anything now that I’ve taken his sports stuff out of his crib. I think we’re doing race cars, but I just haven’t had the time.

*sidenote* I’m writing on Coach’s mac (#love), but I’ve gotten used to my Surface and so now I keep touching the screen. */sidenote* HA.

Doc & Munchkin (can I still call an almost 13-year old “munchkin”?) (and, @sarah, is it more correct to put the punctuation inside the “” or outside, since the “” was to designate a name, not a quote?)

What was I saying?

This is my life. I can’t keep a !@#($% thought in my head for longer than about :25 seconds. So, you see why blogging has been such a hit or miss thing this year. I want to. My life would make a great sitcom. My children are hilarious and I really should be writing this down because [in my most obnoxious, patronizing voice] “they won’t be little forever.” (see, I know I used it correctly there.)

And it’s not all fun and games. There are things I want/need to pour out so I get them out of my head, but I open up the page to write and stare at a blank screen. And then life intrudes and demands my attention. So, in my head these thoughts stay.

Speaking of. The Boy just poured a cup of cinnamon toast crunch out on the kitchen floor. Because 18 months, you know?

Excuse me while I go back to the mess.

Brilliance in 61 seconds

My Facebook Movie

In 61 seconds, Facebook sums up the best parts of the past six years. Marrying Coach, my sweet children (they even included Riley), work, and family; and they set it to a rousing little tune, set to my favorite tempo (6/8).

This is some of the more brilliant marketing I’ve ever seen. If you want to build brand loyalty, show people themselves. Remind them why they love you.

I love this little video. It never fails to make me smile. it’s my favorite thing Facebook has ever created.

So many things

I have several posts rolling around in my head. For now, just the titles are set.

Upcoming:
On the birth of a son
Revival of the cereal diaries category
Too much, too soon (how they are stealing her innocence)
Middle schmiddle (how to avoid the middle child syndrome)
The Corleys go back to church
The clock ticks (why I don’t want to be a stay at home mom)
Be all there (my epiphany on how being in a hurry actually steals time)

Ok, I think that’ll do it. Don’t you? Sit tight, I’ll be back after I fold MORE laundry. UGH.

Today’s Spam posts

Who ARE these people? And does anybody actually fall for this nonsense?

 

 

 

My brother recommended I might like this website. He
used to be entirely right. This post actually made my day.
You cann’t consider just how much time I had spent for this info! Thank you!

———————-

Even if you prepare your own return, you may be well advised to consult a tax professional.
Bed, Bath & Beyond or The Container Store has handy, cheap
items that can help you find additional storage space in
the tops and bottoms of your closet, under the sinks, on
the doors of your kitchen cabinets, and inside your cabinets.
People started to buy the property in Chandigarh that also gives birth to rising demand of properties.

———————-

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on laihduttajan ruokavalio.
Regards

———————-

20 a share Citing order cancellations in the business.
Sean Long converted to put the Hawks on the board. There, before you, from
aaron rodgers jersey amazon the very earliest days of the journey through Holy
Week. Indeed the six tries he scored in a 43-minute spell as the City Reds disintegrated in dreadful conditions.
Altarpiece of St Ambrose Ambrose refused, and sat
among regular worshipers. Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Imagespg.
That said, we are still all pulling in the same state in 1922.

mope

 

I’m in a sour mood.

I’m hot.

I feel fat and round.

I want Munchkin home. Now.

I have wishes that no star, well, or fairy will grant.

I’m too old to actually pout.

I need a sink to scrub.

*mope*

 

I got nothin’

I’m tired. It’s been a crazy, hectic week; to be followed by a hectic Friday and Saturday before I can relax. I am SO thankful, though, for the holiday weekend. So, today’s post is a whole lot of nothin’. Nothin’ funny. Nothin’ sappy. Nothin’ inspiring.

I’m empty today. Well, that’s not true. I have a baby boy the size of a bell pepper hanging around that I’m trying to get to know, two little girls who light up my life with their fireworks every day, and a husband who delights, completes and overjoys me. I have friends who encourage me, family that holds me close and faith that keeps me afloat. I have Jesus.

You know what, maybe I’m not so empty after all.

Pouting

I don’t have spring break off next week. That’s a first in five years. I know I don’t, technically, need a spring break since I’m out of the hero business. But it was our time, as a family, to recharge a little; to reconnect after the grueling pace that is a coaching family. And this year, I’ll miss out.

Munchkin is going to her aunt and uncle’s house for the week and Coach and Princess Crybaby will spend the week together. And I’ll be at work. At a job I enjoy, no doubt, but at work. Not taking Princess Crybaby to the park. Or the zoo. Or the mall. Or sitting in the floor during the day and letting her cook for me. Or napping with her. I’m pretty hung up on this, apparently.

Hormones are weird. The stupidest things bother me these days. I hope this passes in a few more weeks. I’m really starting to annoy myself with how moody I am.

I think I’ll take Munchkin lunch and see if sitting with her and hearing about the day of a 4th grader cheers me up.

On another note, I am going to try the couch tonight and see if I can work this kink out of my shoulder and my attitude.

Friday

Now that I don’t have a life that makes me cry, I’m struggling to come up with post fodder. But, fear not, I’ll think of something!

The kids are good. The house is a mess. Work is fantastic. Soccer season is starting. How’s that for a nutshell?

I’ve got a couple of things percolating, but they’ll have to wait for later; when I can spend a little more time. (you know…work.)

For now, know I love you – whoever you are. I’m going to do a better job talking (nicely) to myself this year.

tweet…wait, what?

I think Facebook has robbed me of my ability to wax poetic about the minutiae of our lives. For some time now, my thoughts are all over the place and none of them longer than a tweet. *sigh* It’s kind of pathetic.

Part of it is probably work. I have so many projects going on, it’s hard to think about anything else.

So….I’m going to try a few memes, to see if I can shake something loose. Like water in a desert.

Indignation Station

Have I mentioned how exhausting people are and how much passive-aggressive behavior wears me out?

In this spirit, I will post instructions on how to appropriately write a passive aggressive note.  Because, if you are going to do it, at least have the decency to do it correctly.  Whoever you are.  *giggle*

Seriously, though.  I think what exhausts me more than anything is how quick people (in general) jump on the Defensive Train and ride it all the way to Indignation Station.  (this sounds like the beginning of a School House Rock song)

*snort*

Ok, I’m done.  It’s no skin off my back.  I won’t stop asking questions when I want to know things and people will still get defensive as a first response (learned that from one of my asst. supts.) until they understand asking questions isn’t an attack. 

WordPress had better visibility but…

Blogger is cuter.  *sigh*  It’s a trade-off, I guess. 

*giggle*

circus job wanted

I’m ready for a job herding elephants.  I’m just sayin’. 

that sad little song

What is it about music that gives it such power over our emotions? There is nothing more haunting than a melancholy tune; more stirring than a sweeping orchestral swell or more invigorating than a lively melody. 

Or, is that just me? (probably)

Walking in Circles

Do you ever get the feeling you are walking in the same circle, over and over again?  Pick up magnets off the floor.  Straighten crib.  pick up blocks and rattles and more blocks and put them back in the basket.  make a bottle.  Sweep the floor…..and on and on.

 

That time of year again

June is here. 

Graduation is in the books, along with another school year. 

June 1 was my 4th birthday as a WILDCAT. 

It’s time to switch from school year omgosh-hair-on-fire-frantic to summer not-as-frantic-frantic. 

Munchkin leaves for the East in 13 days.

Reorganizing and redecorating Munchkin’s room begins in 14 days.  (I’m really looking forward to this)

New look – again

I changed my blog theme and appearance…again.  🙂 

What do you think of the dandelions?  They were from a really pretty image set from http://www.obsidiandawn.com/.  I hope they like how I’ve used them.

Not really, no

I promise I’m not really watching the clock.  I’ve got lots to do and I’m doing it. 

See how busy I am? 

To Do List:
artwork to vendor – done
f/u on $830M DoE funds inquiry – done
pull last week’s pictures off camera and post – done
water that sick looking little plant – done
arrange p/u of phone books for campus – done

And I’ve only been here since 9:30! 

And yet….everytime my phone beeps I’ve got an email, I say a little prayer, let out the breath I sucked in and check it. 

Ok. I’m going to take a little break and refill my coffee. 

I CAN and WILL wait patiently. 
I CAN and WILL wait patiently.
I CAN and WILL wait patiently.
I CAN and WILL wait patiently.

monkeys at WordPress.com *giggle*

Once again, I’ve been visiting the Ninja Aunt’s place and saw a really cool little year-in-review from wordpress and thought to myself, “hey, I wonder if I got one?”  And I did!  (they sent it to an email address I still keep for flickr but never use otherwise – go figure…)

So…here you go…

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

A helper monkey made this abstract painting, inspired by your stats.

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 6,200 times in 2010. That’s about 15 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 75 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 464 posts. There were 47 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 11mb. That’s about 4 pictures per month.

The busiest day of the year was December 4th with 284 views. The most popular post that day was Downhill Slide.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, iconfactory.com, sarahwalstonsblog.wordpress.com, twitter.com, and en.wordpress.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for monsters inc, monster inc, roz monsters inc, monsters inc roz, and roz from monsters inc.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Downhill Slide December 2010

2

Goodbye November 2010
1 comment

3

Who is fridaynightgirl? September 2006

4

The problem with grief November 2010
2 comments

5

stroller, diapers and wet wipes – oh my! August 2010
1 comment

**aside – when I think of monkeys crunching numbers about blog stats, for some reason, this comes to mind:

Lessons to learn before children

I found this on fb and it’s hysterical.  It’s complete drivel but oh, so, funny.  Parents, enjoy.

_____________________________________

Lesson 1
 
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.
 
Lesson 2
 
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their…
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child’s breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.
Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.
 
Lesson 3
 
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel…
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can’t get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)
 
Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.
 
Lesson 4
 
Can you stand the mess children make? T o find out…
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?
 
Lesson 5
 
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.
 
Time allowed for this – all morning.
 
Lesson 6
 
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don’t think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don’t look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.
Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.
 
Lesson 7
 
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week’s groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.
 
Lesson 8
 
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.
 
You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.
 
Lesson 9
 
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you’re thinking What’s ‘Noggin’?) Exactly the point.
 
Lesson 10
 
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying ‘mommy’ repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each ‘mommy’; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.
 
Lesson 11
 
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the ‘mommy’ tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.
 
This is all very tongue in cheek; anyone who is parent will say ‘it’s all worth it!’ Share it with your friends, both those who do and don’t have kids. I guarantee they’ll get a chuckle out of it. Remember, a sense of humor is one of the most important things you’ll need when you become a parent!

Barnaby

So there is a frog in our yard and Matt has named him Barnaby.  The frog hangs out on the porch which, with a two month old puppy who eats everything, seems very brave (or stupid – it IS a frog, afterall).

Last night, as we pulled back into the driveway, Matt screeches to a stop; scaring me to death. All the sudden, he jumps out of the car, clapping and shooing a frog, obviously Barnaby, out of the way.  Now all frogs are Barnaby and must be protected from harm.

LOL

my turn to be awake

Normally, I’m the one nodding off by 9:30 and Coach is up all hours of the night.  He’s a night-owl and I am a crack of dawn kind of girl.  But, tonight, he went to bed early and I’m still sitting here.  Oh, sure, it’s only 10 o’clock so it’s not like I’m shaking hands with morning just yet.  The Stowaway is moving and shifting in not-so-comfortable ways and I think that’s keeping me from getting settled. 

I’m planning on trying to sleep in about 30 more minutes… 

‘night y’all.

one more thing

…remember that spiffy moving list I made and was going to hang on the front door so we’d stay on track blah, blah, blah??

I’m not really sure where it is.  I put it down when I got home the other day and that’s the last time I saw it..  Coach, did you hide it from me?  *giggle*  Maybe it was Oscar..

why yes, I’d love to use your time machine

Ok, I’ve decided I’m just stuck in the 32-week spinzone.  Time is slowing down to a non-crawl.  I know time is moving forward because we keep running out of toilet paper.  But golly, gee, willakers – is this pregnancy EVER going to be over?!  I could bore you with the endless whine that is late 3rd trimester stuff but I’ll spare you.  See how understanding I can be?

please hold for a coffee break

[insert musak here]

now we return you to this regularly scheduled blog…

Ok, that was silly. 

So, World Cup is almost over. 

Yeah, I want to talk about pregnancy too.  The greatest thing about the Stowaway getting as big as she is, is that I can feel her moving all the time and it makes me smile (most of the time).  She had hiccups day before yesterday and that’s the first time I’ve felt them.  She’s such a pistol!  She moves and rolls and kicks and the instant I invite Dad or Nana or somebody else to reach out and feel, she stops.  Stinker. 

So, I’m watching HLN this morning and they are showing this wife-carrying contest in Finland or somewhere that has silly games like this that make it to international news.  It made me stop and ask myself what, exactly, determines whether something is “newsworthy.”  I had that show on, in the background, the last 45 minutes and there was not a single mention of Iraq or Afghanistan.  I heard about a 100-mile car chase in California, tar balls in Galveston from the BP spill, wife-carrying games in Finland, LeBron James *yawn*, and on and on and on…  The only thing I could see that might remotely resemble news would be the continued MESS in the Gulf because of BP’s reckless disregard for ANYTHING. 

If France bans the Islamic veils, they just might surpass us as the most hated non-Muslim country.  Ah, the world in which we live… *sigh*

90-degree heat in the Northeast?  So what? 

Ok, I’m quitting.  I promise this will be the last time I blog while watching the drivel masquerading as “news.”

Have a great day, folks.